Justice Brandeis Semester

Last updated: July 19, 2013 at 1:37 p.m.

Objectives

In the summer of 2010 and in semesters thereafter, the university will offer the Justice Brandeis Semester (JBS), an intensive, immersive experiential learning option through which small groups of up to 12-15 students may earn credits while focusing on such varied topics as Environmental Health and Justice, Web Services and Mobile Applications, or Civil Rights and Racial Justice in Mississippi. The linked courses of these programs (for example, “Environment, Social Justice and Empowerment” and “Environmental Health”) will also include experiential learning components, such as fieldwork, internships, or research.

JBS internships, field-based research, creative work or community-engaged learning allow students to:

    * gain real-world experience through experiential learning.
    * build close relationships with professors and small groups of students.
    * acquire skills that will make them stand apart from their peers after Brandeis.

The distinctive elements of a Brandeis education include the intense intellectual engagement students share with our cutting-edge faculty; the rich experiential learning opportunities students encounter in studios, archives, research labs, work settings and the community; and the university’s longstanding commitment to global engagement and social justice. All of these elements are embodied in the new Justice Brandeis Semester.

Extended JBS Program

The Extended JBS program allows students to expand upon the summer JBS program through an internship placement in the fall semester. Students would be considered a full-time student from the start of the summer program through the end of the fall semester.

Students enrolled in an Extended JBS program can earn a total of 16 to 20 credits and will pay tuition for the equivalent of the fall semester.

Programs Offered

Current JBS Offerings

American Democracy: Version 2.0
Environmental Health and Justice
Food, Lifestyle and Health
Mobile Applications and Game Development

Past JBS Offerings

Civil Rights and Racial Justice
Environmental Field Semester
Ethnographic Fieldwork
Web Services and Social Networks

Courses of Instruction

American Democracy: Version 2.0

POL 92bj Internship
Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

POL 98aj Independent Study
Tutorial study on specialized topics, outside the regular curricular offerings of the departments, on interest to students and appropriate politics faculty person. Requires agreement between student and supervising faculty member on the specific topic and syllabus of readings and assignments for the tutorial, including written work required for the course (normally the equivalent of a term research paper). Students may count up to two such courses toward completion of the major. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

POL 108aj The Police and Social Movements in American Politics
[ ss ]
Analyses American mass political movements, their interaction with police, and their influences on American politics. Topics include the relationship between social movements and various political institutions. Explore various theories with case studies of specific political movements. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Kryder

POL 154aj Seminar: Citizenship
[ ss ]
Liberal theory presumes the progress of history to be, in the words of John Stuart Mill, a gradual "doing away with privilege." Examines the frontiers of social and political justice through readings drawn from literature, political science, and history. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Kryder

Environmental Health and Justice

AMST 102aj Environment, Social Justice, and Empowerment
[ oc ss wi ]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
This community-engaged course involves students first-hand in the legal, policy, science, history and social impacts of current environmental health issues challenging individuals and families and communities today, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant communities and the profound and unique roles played by women. Students will engage directly in the topics through field trips, visiting speakers and discussions with stakeholders themselves. They also will address the issues by assisting low income residents in Waltham at the Tenant Advocacy Clinic, and collaborating in projects with EPA, DEP and local organizations such as Healthy Waltham, the Waltham Family School, Waltham Family YMCA, Jewish Family and Children's Service, Joseph Smith Community Health Center and others. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin

BISC 6bj Environmental Health
[ sn ]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation. Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology.
An introduction to the science and tools of environmental health, giving students hands-on skills to explore directly current issues experienced by local communities. Students will become familiar with the environmental health paradigm, the conceptual model of the field, including underlying principles of hazard identification, exposure assessment, toxicology, risk assessment, and characterization and interpretation of epidemiological studies. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin and Mr. Stewart

ENVS 102aj Field Research and Study Methods: Environmental Health
[ ss ]
Comprises the skills and methods component of the four-course Environmental Health and Justice JBS. Students will be trained in environmental health study design, sampling methodology, field research and equipment techniques, data interpretation, statistical analysis, risk communication and presentation. The course will equip students to design and carry out a semester-long environmental health research study integral to the themes of Environmental Health and Justice JBS. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin and Mr. Stewart

Food, Lifestyle and Health

BISC 4bj Food, Nutrition, and Health
[ sn ]
Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology.
Nutrition is the science of food and its role in health and disease. This course will introduce the biological background to provide students with tools to better understand everything from how we choose food to how our diet influences our long-term health. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Lai

BISC 10aj Diabetes
[ sn ]
Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology.
Studies the rising prevalence of diabetes that has taken an alarming human and societal toll. This course explores the science behind Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes plus gestational diabetes, the contribution of modern Western lifestyle to disease development, current diabetes treatments including insulin and non-insulin drugs and bariatric surgery, future treatment such as stem cell therapy, the increasing diabetes treatment cost and impact on current healthcare policy. Emphasis will be placed on discussion of molecular genetic research that has illuminated our understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. A new food lab is included to further inform about the importance of food and nutrition (together with exercise) in the management and prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Lai

HSSP 120bj Health Care Landscapes
[ ss ]
Focuses on developing skills and understanding of health care landscapes, with an emphasis on experiential learning in specific communities. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Zincavage

Mobile Applications and Game Development

COSI 153aj Mobile Application Development
[ sn ]
Prerequisites: COSI 11a and 12b.
An introduction to the design and analysis of mobile applications that covers the architecture of mobile devices, APIs for graphical user interfaces on mobile devices, location-aware computing, social networking. Also covers the theory and practice of space and time optimization for these relatively small and slow devices. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hickey

COSI 153bj Mobile Game Design
[ sn ]
Prerequisites: COSI 11a and 12b.
An introduction to the design, implementation, testing and analysis of mobile games including the architecture of 2D and 3D games, interaction with mobile input/output devices, networking for multi-person games, and mechanisms for marketing, distributing, and maintaining mobile games. Usually offered every second year. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hickey

COSI 154aj The JBS Incubator
[ sn ]
Prerequisite: COSI 11a.
An introduction to software engineering for web and mobile applications. Covers agile programming techniques, rapid prototyping, source control paradigms, effective software documentation, design of effective APIs, software testing and analysis, software licensing, with an introduction to business plans for software entrepreneurs. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hickey